Strictly Come Blogging: Sunday Service: Week 1

If you haven't already seen it, you can read my thoughts on the first seven couples here.

Moving on to Saturday night's crop, Harry & Aliona made a pretty good start, but to be honest, I was a bit bored. The cha cha was well danced, but it was lacking in personality. Harry has loads of potential, and I'm sure there will be lots more to come from him.

Rory & Erin did a reasonable first job with the waltz. Rory's knees were a little bit flexed, and I agreed with Alesha (I know, the horror!) what he was hunching over Erin a bit. He needs to work on his posture. He also needs to work on his facial expression. I have never been a fan of the Chris Hollins gerbil look. However, another good first effort.

Alex needs to pull back her shoulders back a bit more. Everything about her cha cha with James seemed a bit 'spiky'. She needs more flow and finesse. I'm sure it will come as she becomes more comfortable on the dancefloor.

Chelsee could be the one to beat. She had dance lessons as a kid, and it shows. She has neat lines and a natural flair, similar to other past participants who have also had dance lessons. The judges comments about her headline were justified, and there were a couple of small errors, but otherwise it was excellent. Chelsee has great musicality. And I liked new boy Pasha's choreography.

Edwina & Vincent's cha cha was fun, but clunky. Edwina is more fearless than I would have expected. She really went for it. I think this will be a great partnership. Edwina needs to watch her arms, as they were about wayward.

After watching Nancy & Anton's waltz, my reaction was 'what was that?'. The comedy at the top was naff and unnecessary. With Ann, Anton needed to use comedy, but with Nancy he shouldn't need to. The handling of the wardrobe problem was unprofessional. And Nancy's standing spin was the worst I have ever seen. It was all a bit of a disaster, and I just hope things get better next week. Although they have salsa, so I won't hold my breath.

There's no denying that Jason has lots of talent. He was easily the best of the male participants. He has excellent feet and a good hip action. Kristina has taught him well. However, I wasn't keen on his performance. I found it a bit camp and cringy. It was all a bit Strictly Ballroom - all those stereotypes that still haunt latin and ballroom dancing. I liked Jason's dancing, but I was his performance to be a bit more from within. It seemed a bit 'learnt'. I'd like him to be more natural.

So, Week 1 is in the books. If I was going to send someone home this week, it would have been Nancy & Anton. She's lucky she has another week to regroup and prove that this performance was a one-off.